Digging up the Past
by Knighthawk993
Summary: Whilst looking for a Mayan artefact, Lara Croft encounters an unsavoury group and has to gather help from someone she would rather avoid…Tony Stark. But every cloud has a sliver Lining.
1. Chapter 1

_**Fancy seeing you here xD. This story is set during Agents of SHIELD season 2 but after Underworld and The Avengers. Please review and tell me what you think of it and feel free to point out any grammar or spelling issues.**_

_**I own nothing, if I did I'd have a pool full of smarties!**_

**Another Typical Day**

The afternoon sun was filtering through the thin stone cracks in the ceiling, lighting the faded jade statues beneath. The ancient Mayan hall was decorated with worn golden chains that hung from the ceiling, carrying intricate chandeliers with well-used candles that appear not to have been lit for centuries. In each of the corners of the hall there were shallow pools of crystal clear water adorned with teal mosaic tilling.

The pool of water in the far left corner of the massive Mayan hall began to ripple, then to circle as it was drained away showing a hidden path and making way for a young woman to emerge.

She was wearing a tight dark green tank top, that stopped just above her belly button, and short deep grey shorts. Her chocolate hair was tied neatly in a long plait, dripping with water, whilst resting on her black leather backpack. As she climbed out of hole left by the water, she shook her hands dry and reached into her bag pulling out a deep red journal that looked like it had seen better days.

"_Hmm, the Mayan's always did like to make it difficult."_

Lara Croft put the journal back in her backpack and continued to tentatively walk further into the hall. She kept glancing at the statues in both intrigue and cautiousness as she was far too experienced to be caught in a simple dart trap.

As she approached the elaborately carved centre pedestal some of the ceiling behind her began to crumble making Lara even more cautious. The underground temple was evidently unstable.

_Better do this quick then. _She thought as small stones splintered when they hit the floor.

Her caution soon turn to anger and annoyance when she saw her illustrious prize missing, in it's place instead was a note written in a all too familiar hand.

"_Pipped you to the post again Sweetie, H." _With a small annoyed smile she slightly shook her head, scrunched up the note and threw it to the side. "_Damn you." _

The ceiling began to decay again but this was different. Lara could hear the unmistakable sound of a helicopter above ground. Given her previous experience, Lara knew very well that the chopper probably wasn't full of girl scouts who were there to sell her cookies.

She only just got into the shadows when the ceiling exploded letting mass amounts of light in. Men clad in black repelled in the hole that had just caved in. The unidentified men took up positions surrounding the pedestal as another person repelled in.

Judging by the outfit alone Lara figured that this final man must be the leader of the group. She silently climbed the statue she was hiding behind to get a better look at the leader.

He was dressed entirely in black just like the others. However his hat was that of an officer with his medals tacked to the side. Upon seeing the logo on the back of the leaders black trench coat Lara took a sharp intake of breath. Unfortunately for her that drew the groups attention.

"_Why Hydra?" _she whispered in a mixture of irritation and surprise as she slid back behind the statue.

"_In a place like this I'm probably safe to guess that the person slinking in the shadows is none other than the remarkable Ms Croft" _

He swivelled around to face the source of the noise. His jet black hair was gelled back but came to a flick at the back of his head. He stood perfectly still as his auburn eyes surveyed the western wall where she was hiding.

There wasn't much Lara could do from behind the statue. She had to come up with a plan to get out of there since there was no point staying around any more.

So with nowhere to run she exited the shadows with her hands held up, preying they wouldn't shoot her on the spot. The leader of the Hydra group smiled.

"_I bet that was second nature to you Ms Croft."_ Lara didn't say anything but stayed vigilant, _"Hm...My name is Scott Gellis. Now if you could hand over the artefact, it is of great importance to Hydra and it would not be wise to make an enemy of us."_

"_Oh I bet it." _Lara scoffed _"And besides, I couldn't give you it if I wanted to." _Seeing the slight mistrusting twitch in Gellis's eyebrow Lara explained "_It wasn't here when I arrived. Someone has already been here."_

As Gellis turned to examine the empty pedestal, Lara seized the opportunity then quickly clambered up the wall into the darkness above, caused by the ceiling collapsing, hiding behind the rocks that had pilled at the side. The soldiers began to fire at the spot where she used to be.

"_Hold your fire!"_ Shrieked Gellis holding his arms above his head but still managing to look as calm as before.

Unlucky for Gellis one of them had already fired a grenade at the base of the statue causing it to start collapsing with Lara still on top. With little time Lara ran for the ropes still hanging from the hole.

Realising that she was far better than her reputation gave her credit for, and that she had nearly escaped, Gellis issued a new order, his face redder than before. _"Shoot but only wound her!"_

The agents complied and began shoot at her long exposed legs as they threw her up the swaying rope. Lara was used to climbing ropes with speed so she escaped with ease but one of the agents below, the same one who shot the statue in the first place (he had swapped the grenade launcher for a pistol), managed to clip Lara's thigh as she swung it over the top of the hole.

Ignoring the pain throbbing in her leg, Lara ran as fast as she could into the forest that surrounded the newly made hole. When she deemed herself safe, she glanced back noticing that the gunfire had caused a bigger cave in, rendering the Hydra agents trapped.

Shebreathed a sigh of relief, _"Oh what a shame." _Lara slumped down on the tree she was leaning on, took a medipack out of her bag and started to patch herself up. _"I do hope there isn't any unactivated traps in there to hurt any of those nice men."_

A cheeky yet annoyed smile spread across her face when a beeping noise came from her bag. She, once again, reached in and pulled out her PDA.

"_Ah hello Winston. Checking up on me?" _the signal wasn't that good, it kept fading in an out.

"_Just wondering *crackle* how your journey is fairing" _Lara had known Winston long enough to know he would be smiling when he said this. She got to her feet, looked at the map from her bag and began walking to a small town not too far away.

"_It appears that an old friend is back...and he's still intent on annoying me."_

"_It's good to hear you in better *crackle* spirits." _Lara's smiled faded as she continued.

"_Hm...however that it's not just us after the Suum Aantah. Apparently so is Hydra."_

There was a short pause as Winston processed the rather unsettling information.

"_You have a habit of attracting the wrong set of people. So what do we do now?"_

Lara could hear the worry in his voice. She had just reached the top of a hill and could see the town and air strip just a few klicks away. She spent a few moments admiring the view. The sun was turning into a warming orange colour as it began to set.

"_We get help from those who know more." _

Winston knew exactly who she meant and sighed making Lara laugh._"The joy."_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Previously...Lara had found the location of the Mayan artefact Suum Aantah (You'll find out the meaning in a bit) but unfortunately for her, someone had beaten her too it. She encountered a group of Hydra agents also looking for the artefact. After escaping and having a conversation with Winston, Lara decided to get outside help.**_

_**Still don't have that pool of Smarties :(**_

_**Also I've never been to New York and I don't really know much about it so if anyone knows where Stark Tower is supposed to be, please say. The pistols used by Lara are her TR Legend ones.**_

**Charity Brings us Closer.**

The New York skyline was lit up with the bright lights of the enormous buildings as a few flakes of snow floated down to the icy pavement below. The centre point, and the brightest light, was Stark Tower. A self sustaining building designed by the technological genius Tony Stark.

Tonight Stark was hosting a charity event to raise funds for the families who had lost their homes in the Chitauri invasion. In typical Tony Stark fashion, the party was loud and brash, full of cheering women as Stark showed off his new suit by blasting various items with his ark blasts.

In the far corner where two people, one male the other female. The man was dressed in a suit with his shirt showing off some of his chest. The woman was wearing a knee length, strapless, black dress that had a lace trim on the bottom.

"_Okay not gonna lie but I'm kinda getting bored Skye." _The man rested his head on his hand as he blatantly checked out some of the women in the room.

"_You realise who we're hacking right? I've got to make sure his computer buddy doesn't sense me Hunter." _said Skye with slight annoyance, not lifting her eyes from the screen of her tablet still trying to blend in with the party. Hunter sighed.

"_Go do something then. I can take care of myself. May is my CO, so imagine the training I've done." _Without a second thought Hunter stood up and strode across to the bar, smiling at any woman who looked his way. He sat next to a blonde man who look really uncomfortable and bored.

It wasn't long before Hunter was joined by a young ginger girl giggling at everything he said. The man next to him kept looking over and sighing.

Stark had now moved to a sofa near the dance floor, still surrounded be women, watching them dance.

"_Hunter get over here and leave her alone" _Skye said sternly, sounding worried. She could tell that Hunter had entranced the girl, leaving Skye puzzled on how he did this but the man next to him relieved that Hunter had moved away.

He managed to lose the girl amongst the crowd as he made his way back to Skye.

"_What's wrong? Tablet run out of battery." _he jested as he sat down peering over her shoulder at the tablet. She ignored his comment and continued working as she explained.

"_I'm running out of time. Jarvis..."_

"_Jarvis?"_

"_The computer. It knows something is wrong and is searching for me. I need you to find one of Stark's computers and plug this in" _Skye handed him a USB stick. Hunter looked at her blankly.

"_All you do is plug it in, I do the rest. I'm not even going to waste my time explaining it." _She rolled her eyes as Hunter left inconspicuously to look for a laptop or other technological devise that it would fit in.

He gently pushed his way through the dancing crowd bobbing his head as he went. Hunter had seen no USB ports as he reached the elevator near the spiral staircase. He thought if he was careful enough he could get downstairs and look without being interrupted.

_Need to wait for the right moment. All James Bond like, _he thought with a chuckle as he leaned against the wall. Hunter surveyed the dancing people to see if any were looking his way but as he was about to head downstairs the ding of the elevator sounded temporarily halting his plan.

The elevator door silently slide open revealing a beautiful brunette in a tight deep blue dress that had a small slit on the right hand side showing a bit more of her smooth long legs. Her hair was partially tied up and curled.

It took Hunter a few moments before he realised who he was looking at. He turned his back to her to avoid her gaze.

"_Er Skye..." _he waited for her reply which was a small grunt _"You know that artefact that we got in Mexico. Yeah, the woman we took..."_

"_We got it before she got there."_

"_Yeah her. She's here. Right I'm going downstairs as fast as I can so she doesn't murder me."_

Without giving Skye a chance to respond he quickly ran downstairs.

(x-x)

The party was certainly lively. There were some many people that she was surprised that anyone else could even fit in.

"_Finding Stark shouldn't be that hard. Convincing him to help however." _

She took a deep breath and walked further into the room looking for the infamously flirtatious Tony Stark. When she found him he was bouncing coins into a cup. Making sure she made eye contact with him she headed towards the bar and sat in the only seat available.

"_Why hello there beautiful." _

Her plan had worked.

"_Tony Stark, although you probably already know that" _Tony chuckled as he took a sip from his drink.

"_Wow Tony." _It was the blonde man still sat in the same place, still with the same unamused face.

"_Hey! I invited you Steve so you could let your hair..."_

"_Wait...Steve Rogers" _She turned to face him _"You'll be more help than he will...and less annoying" _she finished with a smile.

Tony winked at Steve who shot daggers back at him but as Tony went to leave the girl grabbed him by his sleeve.

"_I'm down a techie so you could help, as much as I will want to punch you" _Steve laughed and looked into the girl's mahogany eyes, "_Anyway, I'm Lara Croft. Is there somewhere we can talk privately Mr Stark?"_

Noticing the look on her face and seeing that it was something serious, Tony led them downstairs with Lara in second and Steve bringing up the rear. As they passed through the crowd Steve found that his eyes kept traveling downwards on Lara.

_Stop it_ he thought as he entered Tony's tech area.

The room was filled with what would appear to the average person as scrap metal. In the centre of the room was a circle of computers not totally dissimilar to Lara's tech room.

"_Talk about taking you work home with you." _said Lara as she ran her fingers over some of the tech laid on the table in the centre of the room.

Tony sat in a chair an set his feet on the table while Steve was stood straight, hands in his pockets. Lara briefly examined both Tony and Steve. Tony's attire just screamed billionaire playboy while Steve was more conservative wearing a basic grey suit that Lara thought hugged his physique perfectly.

"_How can we help you Lady Croft?"_ It took her back that he new her formal title was lady. It apparently took Tony back too.

"_Lady?" _questioned Tony with an eyebrow raised. Lara shuffled uncomfortably.

"_Please just stick to Lara. Honestly I hate formalities." _

"_Why? You look hot formal."_

"_Tony!" _Steve snapped staring at Tony as he just smirked.

"_It's okay Mr Rogers. I recently was in mexico looking for the Suum Aantah" _seeing the look on their faces she thought it best to give a brief explanation. _"It's mayan, roughly translated to cord or rope of air. It's said to make the wearer lighter than normal. It has carvings on it that looks like a series of lines and circles."_

Steve was listening intently not taking his eyes off of Lara. Tony, however, had begun to tinker. Lara continued anyway.

"_When I got to the main hall of the temple..."_

"_It wasn't there." _Finished Steve.

_'Yes but that's not the issue. I know who took it but not who he took it for, Hunter's a merc. Again, that's not what may concern you. As I was about to leave a certain group of people burst in through the ceiling...and they were Hydra."_

Silence filled the room, Tony had even stopped tinkering to turn to look at her.

"_Are you sure?"_

"_They had red serpent skulls on their backs"_

A red light appeared on the computer next to Tony.

"_Excuse me sir but I appear to be getting hacked. I might have to take a nap soon."_ The trio converged at the computer as Tony began to tap away. As Tony began to find the source of the hack, Lara and Steve heard a rustle behind them.

With amazing speed Lara pulled out her trusty HK USP Match pistols from the bag she had with her and kicked off her shoes. She noticed Steve was looking at her.

"_Basic etiquette. Don't arrive empty handed." _She winked at Steve until another rustle was heard coming from behind the shelves.

Steve silently made his way over to the noise by going to the left while Lara went to the right. They nodded to each other and pounced around the back of the shelves.

"_Don't Shoot"_ It was a young man holding his hands above his head. Steve grabbed him and dragged the man into view of Tony.

"_Do you know him Tony?"_

"_I do."_ the voice came from Lara not Tony. _"That's Hunter." _she said with disproving eyes and folded arms. Hunter just looked at her with a nervous smile praying that she wouldn't hit him.

"_Hi sweetie" _Hunter said nervously getting to his feet.

"_Ugghh" _Lara rolled her eyes. _"Tell me your not..."_

Before she could finish her sentence all the lights went out leaving them in pitch black darkness. She began to search for Hunter in the dark and successfully found someone but was wrestled to the ground.

"_I got it!"_ Tony shouted as the lights flickered back on. _"Jarvis tell everyone to leave."_

"_Will do sir."_

Lara was laid on the floor with a well built man on top of her, only it wasn't Hunter. He wasn't nearly that muscular.

"_Oh...erm...I'm sorry I thought you were..."_ stumbled Steve as he got up and helped Lara to her feet. The impromptu wrestling match had caused the slit in her dress to tear even further up her leg making Steve feel more awkward.

"_Don't worry about it, I thought you were him. Come on."_ Lara rushed out of the room to chase after Hunter who had fled when the lights went out.

Upstairs was now mostly empty other then a few of the more tipsy people who were slowly but surely making their way to the exit.

"_Bloody hell."_ Lara sat down on the nearest sofa as Tony came running up the stairs.

"_Whoever hack me managed to get away with my Ark reactor plans. They were one good hacker but not good enough. I blocked most of it." _explained Tony.

He sat down next to Lara, so close that she got up again and stood next to Steve.

"_You know Hydra better than anyone and I know Hunter. We need to find out why Hydra wants that artefact and who he's working for." _Steve could barely look her in the eyes given he had recently wrestled her to the floor.

"_Here isn't safe given he's been hacked." _with a nod at Tony opposite_ "Do you have somewhere we can go?"_ asked Steve.

Lara nodded while Tony looked slightly annoyed.

"_My house. I'm not that tech savvy but I do have a...recently vacated tech room that you might like Mr Stark although it's not as fancy as yours. I have a training room which you might enjoy Mr Rogers. But I think we may need more manpower."_

Tony unleashed a loud laugh. _"Don't worry we have friends that'll help. That is if you don't mind the possibility of a big green rage monster and a norse god smashing up your house."_

Lara's eyes widened.

"_Don't worry Lady Croft, Banner and Thor won't damage you're home." _explained Steve but Lara's face didn't change.

"_Thor? As in, Mjolnir, Thor. The norse god of thunder?"_ Steve smiled and put his hand on her shoulder as Lara stood perfectly still looking like christmas had come early.

"_I'll let Winston know so he can prepare the necessary rooms."_ she said with a massive smile on her face, although inside she had mixed emotions. The child in her was doing back flips at the thought of meeting an Asgardian but the adult in her was reminded of her recent loss.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Previously...Lara sought out the help of Tony Stark by attending his party. She, however, wasn't the only one there. Hunter and Skye were hacking and when Hunter got caught by Steve and Lara, the lights went out plunging them into darkness. Skye and Hunter got away with Stark's Ark Reactor plan. Tony and Steve agreed to help Lara with Hydra.**_

_**I'm just gonna fill my bath with Smarties.**_

**Team Bonding**

It had been a few days since Tony's party. The Buckinghamshire sky line was as grey and bleak as British weather was in February. With the lights on, Lara Croft's mansion looked so warm and inviting.

Tony was, once again sat in the tech room, working on 3 different computers at once. Lara always wondered what he was doing but when he began to explain it just soared over her head. She spent most of her time looking up information on the Suum Aantah in her library trying to figure out how Hydra may want to use it. Steve, however, was often in the gym although sometimes he could be found telling Lara about his time fighting Hydra.

In the few days they had been in Lara's home, they were no closer to figuring out why Hydra wanted the artefact or who Hunter was working for.

Lara was taking a break from re-reading the books about Mayan lore in her library. She was beginning to feel like she had hit a brick wall...or she had been thrown into it.

She had decided to take a break and do something that helped to relax her mind, rock climbing. As Lara was swinging from the top of the wall she noticed Steve looking up at her. With grace and agility she quickly made her way down.

Lara was clad in a small black yoga top and her camouflaged patterned trousers while Steve was in a white t-shirt and cargo trousers.

She smiled at him as they stood at opposite ends of the mats in the centre of the room.

"_This time, Steve please don't go easy on me. I guarantee that you won't hurt me." _He returned her smiled and gave her a small nod.

They walked around in a circle measuring each others movement carefully, not breaking eye contact. With lighting fast speed Lara launched a super kick straight for Steve's head but he managed to dodge it, grabbing her foot in the process, forcing Lara into the splits on the floor. She spun her other leg around sweeping Steve's toned legs out from underneath him and standing up again.

He hit the floor with a thud but quickly kipped back up, swinging directly for her head. He clipped her in the mouth and drew blood.

"_I'm sorry Lara." _Steveheaded over to her but she began to laugh.

"_That's more like it." _she said, smiling as she wiped the blood from her lip.

Taking advantage of his guilt ridden stance Lara jumped into a 540 kick catching Steve right on the jaw sending him spinning to the floor. She immediately flipped again and landed on top of him. He thew her over his head and they both rolled to their feet, making eye contact and began to circle once again.

This time Lara waited for Steve to attack first and he didn't disappoint her.

He heaved his right fist straight for Lara's face, giving in to her _don't hold back_ rule. She only just dodged it by doing a back handspring but quickly jumped at him landing on his shoulders. Not giving Steve any chance she did a hurricanrana, dragging him back to the floor.

He, however, didn't let go and tried to pin her on her back but even with her small frame she had a lot of strength, especially in her legs. She used them to swing over and pin Steve's arms to the floor.

"_She kicked your ass Rogers. And you were actually trying!"_

Both Steve and Lara looked up to see two new people in the doorway. Lara stood up and held out her hand.

The man was wearing tinted sunglass, dark blue loose fitting jeans and a leather jacket where as the girl was in tight black jeans and a grey jumper.

"_I'm Natasha Romanov and this is Clint Barton. Tony contacted us and said you might need our help." _Natasha shook Lara's hand while Clint just stared.

"_I think you two should fight. That'll be fun." _Clint had a big grin on his face which quickly faded when he saw Natasha's glaring face.

Steve walked up behind Lara and handed her a towel and an ice pack for her lip, which had swollen slightly. His face was still so apologetic.

Lara led the four of them back into the main hall where Tony was still working but had a big smile on his had been watching on the cameras. Natasha, Clint and Lara sat on the cream sofas in front of the fireplace. As Steve went to lean against the wall he gave Tony a look to keep his mouth shut.

"_From what we've gathered with the intel that Tony gave use there is a third party involved" _Natasha started as Winton brought in some cups and a pot of tea. _"This Hunter fellow wasn't..."_

A loud earthshaking bang erupted from the back of the house. Without a second thought, Tony threw Lara and Natasha guns from the storage locker, and, minus Tony who remained in the tech room, they headed outside.

Bright rainbow lights began to fade as they drifted towards to sky. With immense caution the group slowly made their way to the centre of the maze. As they approached, they saw a blonde, red caped man scratching his head surveying the rubble that once was the centre statue as water sprayed everywhere.

"_Thor?"_ Natasha lowered her gun followed by Lara, whose eyes were wide open.

"_I'm sorry. Heimdall isn't very well today. I didn't mean to smash the statue." _

Lara wasn't even listening nor did she care about the statue, she was too busy staring. Thor was in no way what Lara had expected. After all the books she had read, she didn't really know what he would look like.

"_Thor this is Lady Lara Croft."_ gestured Steve. Lara's face hadn't changed.

"_Ah Lady Croft, I am terribly sorry about..."_

"_You're actually Thor. The norse god of thunder." _They all smiled realising that Lara was starstruck. The child in her was bouncing around screaming.

Thor took Lara's hand and kissed it making her blush slightly.

"_She's an archaeologist. Lara probably knows more about you than you do." _Tony had joined them, _"You should see her little artefact room."_

That statement shook Lara back to reality.

"_I shouldn't really be shocked that you've snooped around my home Mr Stark, should I?."_

Seeing the look on everyones face she sighed and led them back into the house. This time, before they reached the main hall, they veered left and went down a spiral staircase.

They entered a fairly large room with elaborate red carpet on the floor and various paintings on the walls. It was the far wall that held Lara's prized possessions, even if the memories attached were painful.

"_What's with the weird swords?" _Clint walked over and reached out to touch them but his hand was slapped away by Natasha.

"_Ha, you probably..."_

"_Ahhhhh!"_ They turned to face the door to see Tony sat on the floor staring atsomething above the door. Lara began to laugh.

"_Are you a hunter as well Lady Croft?" _asked Thor, smiling.

"_Please call me Lara, Thor. Not really, I just happened to come across a T-Rex...or two. One in Peru and another somewhere in the south pacific. I don't really remember exactly where, I travel a lot."_

Thor turned to face the swords but something else caught his eyes.

"_You have my gauntlets, and my belt. Did you find..." _Lara's smile answered his question.

"_So you have my other hammer?"_ At that her face dropped.

"_Erm...no...I kinda threw that in the Eitr. Well, at Natla but it landed in the Eitr."_

Thor gave her a small smile. _"You Lady...Lara have my respect. I would have liked to have the hammer back but I'm sure that you did what you needed to."_

Lara realised that the Avengers probably didn't have a way of contacting Thor. If they had contacted him somehow they wouldn't have reacted to the bang in the way they did.

"_I don't mean to sound rude Thor, but why are you here?"_ Lara asked with an eyebrow raised.

"_Ah yes...I was sent do find out what the strange energy serge is."_

Tony cleared his throat and gestured to the door. The group headed back into the main hall and towards the tech room. Tony took a seat behind the desk and began clattering on they keyboard.

"_Do you wanna explain or are we playing pictionary?"_ jested Clint.

Tony slowly looked up. _"Say what you see." _he said with a playful grin _"Do you mean that one Thor?"_

Thor examined the screen above Tony carefully and eventually nodded. It showed an overhead view of a forrest area with a whirlwind of colours circling outwards from what appeared to a be a building.

"_You, Lara should be happy you came to me for help. For those who aren't a norse god or know anything about science, that is the same energy reading that the tesseract gives off."_

Lara stared at the screen and sighed loudly making everyone turn to look at her.

"_That's my house isn't it?" _Her sad eyes met Tony's. He nodded.

Winston had entered the room carrying a tray of drinks. He noticed that Lara was looking at the floor.

"_Pack your bags Winston. Your going to have to leave for a while." _Winston stood shocked to the spot _"Please don't argue with me. I'd rather not lose anyone else, especially not you."_

She turned and despondently headed upstairs towards her room.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Previously...After days of fruitless investigating leaving morale low, Lara decided to relax by training with Steve. The group were now joined by Natasha and Clint who were about to divulge info on Hunter when a deafening bang occurred. Going to the maze they found Thor and a smashed statue. He told them about an odd energy signature coming from beneath Lara's home.**_

_**This does have areas shown in Beneath The Ashes DLC. I, however, never played it (don't particularly care for TR Underworld but I watched BTA on youtube.) so if something is wrong let me know. Thank you xD**_

_**I'm might need a lot of Smarties.**_

**Can't catch a Break.**

Lara stood in her walk in closet, staring at her reflection in the mirror. She barely recognised herself anymore. Since Alistair's death she had kept herself busy, thinking that would help her grieve. If anything it just made her feel worse, kinda of numb, although by looking at her, you would never know it. Lara had always been good at putting up a facade.

Every time she was in the library she had expected to she him sat behind the desk with his face buried in a book. Every time she was out in the field and needed more of a background on something, she had the automatic reflex to ask Alistair.

She sighed heavily and changed out of her sweaty clothes that she had fought Steve in, replacing them with her dark green trousers and her black tank top. As she pulled a jacket over her shoulders someone knocked at the door.

"_You can come in."_

The oak door open without a creak and in stepped Steve.

"_Winston has gone. He said he's borrowing the Aston." _He looked at her for a brief moment. Even when she was sad she was still beautiful.

"_Are you alright?" _he continued. Lara gave a small nod as she walked towards the medusa carving on the wall. She pulled the two daggers down on either side causing the carving to open up.

"_Well that's an elaborate way to hide your guns." _said Steve in a failed attempt to make Lara smile. She didn't even make a noise.

As Lara headed for the door, Steve grabbed her arm turning her around to face him.

"_You know something. Even if it's linked to something painful, which clearly it is, we need to know everything. Especially if the thing causing the serge is anything like the Tesseract."_

He never once let go of her arm as he spoke, making Lara feel oddly safe and comfortable. His tone was firm yet gentle as was his grip on her arm.

As Lara turned her gaze to her feet, Steve could feel her begin to shake. Realising he had hit a nerve he pulled her in close and hugged her.

The tears that had gathered in Lara's eyes began to slide down her face. She could no longer hold them back. With a sob she grasped tightly at Steve's shirt, burying her face into his chest.

The oak door swung open again causing Steve and Lara to pull apart.

"_Er...Tony is planning to dig up your house, so you might wanna go downstairs." _Clint had an innocent smile on his face. As Lara, once again, sighed at headed back into the main hall, Clint winked at Steve. Steve just rolled his eyes and followed Lara.

Back in the main hall Natasha and Tony were arguing, loudly.

"_You don't need to destroy my home Stark." _There was a hint of venom in her words _"I would rather not have to rebuild it again."_

Natasha was leaning against the archway entrance to the tech room where as Tony had sat back down not taking his eyes off of Lara.

"_Now I would suggest that you, Stark, stay here and keep track of us. Steve, you might want to go put something you can move a lot more freely in." _He nodded and headed towards his room.

Natasha and Clint exchanged confused looks. _"What about us Lara?"_ questioned Natasha.

Lara turned to look at them. _"You and Mr Barton will stay here. Feel free to help yourself to food and films. I trust that you, Natasha, can keep him in line." _she finished with a head jerk to Tony. Natasha chuckled.

"_Where are we going? I'm assuming I'm coming with you."_ asked Thor as Steve had returned wearing his now famous Captain America outfit and clutching his shield.

Lara walked over to the bookcase on the right hand wall of the tech room and flicked a switch on the back. The bookshelf shuddered and then open to reveal a dark passage. She grabbed her backpack from a nearby table and turned on the torch attached to the strap.

"_I hope your not afraid of the dark." _She threw another torch to Steve.

Lara, Steve and Thor descended down the passage and entered her families crypt. Flicking the switch on the side of her grandfathers grave, the entire grave began to shake and slid to the right, revealing another passage beneath.

"_Does everyone in your family do everything elaborately?"_ asked Steve. This time Lara did chuckle.

She led them through the cave, climbing and jumping over gaps in the floor until they arrived in the main chamber. Making short work of the timed door blocking the way to Lara's father's hidden study, Lara lent against the desk.

"_You said you wanted me to tell you what I know. So before we carry on I'll tell you the brief overview."_

Steve and Thor exchange looks.

"_When I was nine, myself and my mother were in a plane crash over Nepal. We landed in the Himalayan__ mountains where I...stumbled upon a portal and a dais. I touched the sword and...well my mother disappeared."_

Lara fidgeted uncomfortably.

"_My father spent years trying to find out what happened to my mother. He died on a dig in Cambodia, or so we thought. I began looking for more dais' when I was old enough and found one in Tiwanaku, Bolivia. That lead me on the quest for the shards to Excalibur."_

Steve's face crunched up in confusion, as did Thor's. _"It's the fabled sword of King Arthur"_ Clarified Steve not really relieving Thor's confusion.

"_Not only did I find that on old friend was alive but that the portal connected to the one when I was nine. Amanda, the old friend, was shouting take out the sword it'll explode if you don't which led to my mothers disappearance."_

Lara fidgeted again feeling even more uncomfortable. Steve walked over to her and held her hand.

"_Let's speed this up. My home was attacked by a doppelgänger of me. She killed Alistair and took the gauntlet that I had found. She had been made by a Atlantian goddess named Natla. Natla had been working with Amanda but had her own agenda. She planned to create the seventh age. My father figured that out and she killed him before he had chance to..." _She fiddled with her gloves "_To stop Natla I had to throw Mjolnir at her and it was lost in the Etir."_

A silence spread threw the decrepit study. Thor put his hand on her shoulder and smiled.

"_Then you did do it for a good reason."_ Lara chuckled, took a deep breathe and led Steve and Thor deeper.

(x-x)

Tony was tinkering with a part of his suit whilst Clint was watching Tv. Natasha was the only one keep track of Lara, Steve and Thor signals. Silence filled the room only to be punctuated by the loud cackles coming from Clint.

There was a loud knock at the main door.

"_Natasha go open the door" _said Tony not looking up. Natasha slowly turned to face him.

"_I might have red hair but I'm not Potts. Open it yourself."_

Tony sighed and stuck his tongue out at Natasha as the knocking continued.

He made sure to make as much noise as possible as he walked to the door.

"_Hel...Didn't know you were into old building's Tony?"_

A man with deep brown hair stood holding one bag over his shoulder and another by his side. The man's grey jacket covered his trademark purple shirt.

"_Nice of you to join us Bruce. Welcome to Lara Croft's home of silence and awkwardness."_ replied Tony letting Bruce in.

"_What?" _asked Bruce putting his bags at the side of the sofa.

"_He wanted to dig up Lara's home to find the source of the surge. For obvious reasons, myself and Lara had an issue with that."_

Natasha didn't look up once but was focused on the screen. The blips on the screen, representing the group in the crypt, began to flicker.

"_Erm Tony we're losing contact with them."_ Natasha began to panic and tap away on the computer trying to get the signal back.

"_They're underground what do you expect."_

But it wasn't the miles of brick and mortar between them that was blocking the signal. As Natasha's fears went unheard by Tony and Clint, Bruce sat beside her and tried to help. That was not the only activity at Croft manor.

(x-x)

"_Where are we now?"_ asked Steve looking at the intricately carved walls.

"_Deep in the foundations. My father hid another artefact down here. One that can create and control thralls. I'm guessing that may be the source of energy surge given there is Etir down here."_ answered Lara whilst she continued to walk on.

She led them into a circular room which, in the centre, had a pedestal still holding that very artefact.

"_Hmm. This indeed could be the source but only if the Cord of Air has been activated. Only then will this give off a signal." _Thor picked up the artefact and put it in pocket hidden in his cape.

"_The Suum Aantah._" said Lara dryly causing Thor to turn around, his eyes thin.

"_It's been found, hasn't it?"_

Another earth shaking bang rocked the very foundations they were in.

"_Ok, that was an explosion." _stated Steve.

As they made their way back upstairs, the ceiling began to crumble unleashing more of the Etir, but that wasn't the only thing let loose.

A mighty roar echoed through the decaying corridors freezing the group to the spot. Without warning the wall to the right smashed open bringing down more of the ceiling separating Thor from Steve and Lara.

"_Go back! I will deal with this beast."_ Thor shouted through the blocked corridor. Lara didn't listen and began to pull away what she could.

"_Come on. Thor can take care of himself." _She still didn't listen forcing Steve to pick her up and throw her over his shoulder.

Eventually Lara fought her way out of Steve's grip, annoyed that they had left Thor behind.

Noticing that Lara's eyes were filling with tears again, Steve gently grabbed her head forcing her to look in his crystal blue eyes.

"_He'll be fine so don't go blaming yourself. If it helps we can talk when we get out of here."_ He was stern yet considerate but her emotions were building to a boiling point.

"_If he dies..." _she was cut off by the growl, several growls, of glowing blue corpses.

They charged both Steve and Lara who reacted with lightning fast speed. Steve threw his shield at the centre of the thrall congregation causing it to ricochet between them. Lara took this opportunity to execute some of the thralls thinning the herd.

Steve reclaimed his shield and dragged Lara away who was still letting loose upon the thralls.

Lara's agility matched that of Steve's as they clambered there way back up to the entrance to the crypt. Steve suddenly pinned Lara to the wall putting his hand over his mouth.

"_Listen."_

They could hear fighting above them. Fearing that more people were going to get hurt because of her choices, Lara fought out of Steve's grasp and sprinted into the main hall ready for a fight.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Previously...Lara, Steve and Thor headed into Lara's family crypt while Natasha, Clint and Tony remained in the main hall. On they way down the foundations Lara gave a brief explanation of her life and what they were looking for. As they stood in the circular room they heard a large explosion. Being separated from Thor, Steve and Lara continued to head back up.**_

**_Maybe some M&M's too._**

**Moving again.**

As Lara rushed back into the main hall she saw that, once again her home was wrecked. In the fireplace, which was no longer alight, she saw a hint of yellow and red. With a groan Tony carefully clambered out of the fireplace in his armour.

"_Well, that was fun."_ Clint appeared over the banister holding his arm. Seeing the shock on Lara's face Clint leaped over the banister, landing just beside her, and put his hand on her shoulder.

Natasha was the next to appear. She walked down the main stairs as if nothing happened.

"_We're going to have to move. I'm sorry Lara but it was Hydra."_

"_Ha, I have somewhere we can go. Parts of it are still getting rebuilt but it'll be safer." _ Tony had taken his battered helmet off and cast it aside.

Lara wasn't really listening but was looking around at her, once again, smashed up home. She turned towards the main door which was completely and utterly gone.

Bruce's head popped around the corner. _"Erm...can I have some clothes please?"_ he asked with a sheepish smile. Lara could see his bare shoulder making her realise why the front door was missing.

Clint rummaged around the rubble whilst chuckling to himself. Eventually he located Bruce's bag and pulled out some trousers and a shirt.

"_Excuse me Lady Croft, the swords in your artefact room have gone. I tried to stall them the best that I could." _Jarvis's crackly voice echoed through the hall.

Lara gave a small sigh. _"That's a relief." _Bruce and Clint exchanged confused looks as they walked into the hall, Bruce fully clothed.

"_You didn't think that I would have them in such an obvious place do you?"_ she forced a smile to curl at her lips, trying to hide the sorrow she had for her house.

She walked over to the extinguished fire place and crawled into it. The hidden door at the back wouldn't open.

"_Tony, can you blast the back of the fireplace please?" _Lara asked politely as she crawled back out.

He gave her a nod with a smile, _"Blasting is what I do. Well other than..."_

"_Tony."_ Steve interjected.

Tony giggled to himself as he raised his arm at the fireplace and after a small charge, the back of the fireplace crumbled. Lara crawled back underneath disappearing from sight. She returned a few moments later with the black and green swords in one hand and a small leather bag in the other.

"_Ooh, what's in the bag?"_ Tony tried to grab at it like a child in a sweet shop.

"_Thor's real gauntlets. Again it's not something I want to severely advertise."_

At that moment another bang shook the house. Poised for another fight everyone stared at the crypt entrance.

"_That was a fun fight."_ Thor had a grin beaming from his chiseled face. Seeing Thor stood safe and sound, reasonably untouched, in the wreckage of her home did alleviate some of the worry. _"What happened here?"_

Bruce chuckled _"I'll explain while everyone gets their things."_

Tony, Steve and Lara, being the only ones who head stayed more than one day, went to their rooms gathering everything that they needed.

Back in her room Lara could feel her anger bubbling back up. Sometimes she really wondered if she should just join a nunnery. Cut herself off from everyone else so that no one would get hurt. That way she wouldn't find so much trouble. A part of her was thankful that she wasn't in London when Malekith was around.

After packing a few necessary items into a bag, Lara sighed and sat down on the sofa in the centre of the room, dropping the bag on the table. A few years ago she would have been severely annoyed if she wasn't in London when Thor fought Malekith. She would have gladly helped, her norse knowledge would have helped.

"_I really have changed."_ she mumbled solemnly to herself.

Some one knocked gently on the door. Lara ignored them, she wanted to gather her thoughts before leaving the remnants of the house she grew up in again. The person knocked again, slightly harder this time, before they opened the door.

It was Steve with his bag in hand.

He saw her sat on her sofa looking worn. Putting his bag down at the edge he sat next to her, close enough that he could put his arm around her but far enough away that he didn't feel awkward.

"_I really regret my lifestyle sometimes."_ she had said so quietly that Steve had barely heard her.

"_I told you Thor would be alright." _Lara giggled as she looked Steve in his clear blue eyes.

For the first time Lara actually realised how handsome Steve was. Thing is, it wasn't just in appearance but in personality as well. He was caring, thoughtful and brave. He would lay down his life for anyone, Lara figured if you were to date Steve that he would treat you like a queen. The complete opposite of Tony, who would love you and leave you.

"_Too many people have loved and left me."_ she thought. Lara realised what she was thinking and mentally shock it from her mind.

A few moments had passed in silence, Steve still had his arm around her. She looked back down to her feet.

"_After this is all over..." _For the first time she could remember Lara had stumbled on her own words.

"_Yes?" _Steve tried his hardest to keep the excitement out of his voice. He knew exactly what he wanted her to say.

"_Hmm, I find it easier to talk to you than I do Winston. I know he cares but I need an objective view. The view of an outsider. So, after this is over can I...Can we talk about Alistair and all of that? I need to get it out of my system." _She could hardly believe that she had said it.

Steve cupped her chin and moved her face to look at him. He was smiling.

"_Absolutely."_

Lara laughed to herself before Steve shuffled closer to hug her fully. She tied her arms around his waist, her head nested in his neck. She couldn't help but notice, even after being in her families crypt, that he smelled so nice.

Steve had expected to feel awkward holding her so close, especially with her head buried in his neck. But he didn't. He enjoyed comforting her. He liked her scent and the feel of her soft hair on his neck.

Lara slowly pulled back, taking in a deep breath. Steve's calming blue eyes met her chocolate brown eyes. Both of their minds went blank as they closed the distance between them.

"_Hey toots are you ready? We're waiting on you and the capsicle."_

The sound of Tony's voice brought Steve and Lara back to reality and they quickly stood up, hoping Tony didn't notice how close they had gotten.

"_Yeah I'm ready."_

Steve passed Lara her bag as he picked up his own. He was careful to avoid her enchantingly beautiful eyes.

_**I know this is a short chapter but nothing else fit into this one. I have plans. Oh and don't think I've forgotten about Hunter ; )**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Previously- Lara and Steve re-entered the main hall and found it trashed. Natasha told them that it was Hydra and Jarvis added that the two swords were gone. Lara then went into a hidden door behind the fireplace, after Tony had blown it open, to gather the real swords and gauntlets. Tony, Steve and Lara went to gather their things after Thor had reappeared. Steve went to comfort Lara and they got rather close only to be interrupted by Tony.**_

_**I'll just fill my sink with Smarties and M&M's.**_

* * *

><p><span><strong>Arguments and Artefacts.<strong>

Two men were sat on a brown leather sofa in a dimly lit room, the only light source being the TV on which they were playing a violent video game. One male was well built, bald with a goatee, the other was smaller, had a shaven head and stubble. On the table in front of them were sweet wrappers and the odd empty bottle.

"_You kill me again Mac and I swear I'm gonna curb stomp you for the rest of the round."_ playfully threatened the smaller of the two.

"_You won't be able to. You suck at Gears of War, Hunter." _

The man named Mac cheered as he won the round while Hunter threw the controller on the floor before taking a swig of his beer.

A tall beautiful brunette entered the room, holding a file in her hand, and switched on the lights, tutting as she did so.

"_Why do you insist on playing that in the dark? In fact don't answer that I don't care."_

The three of them could hear raised voices in the distance and it wasn't for the first time.

"_I wonder what are they arguing about today Bobbi? Who ate the last yogurt?" _asked Hunter sarcastically, taking another drink from his beer. She raised an eyebrow, half amused.

"_That artefact you guys got. No one here knows anything about it." _Bobbi had a pensive look on her face as still flicked through the file.

Hunter rose and put his, now empty, bottle of beer in the bin as another woman entered the room caring a tablet that lit up her young face, looking like christmas came early.

"_What with the grin, Skye?" _asked Mac walking to look over her shoulder.

"_The Arc Reactor has improve efficiency ten fold. I don't think I've ever seen Fitz happier." _Skye raised her head and saw the wrappers on the table _"He looks like Hunter in a candy store."_

Hunter smiled proudly.

A few moments went by as Bobbi sat down reading the file she had in her hand and Mac and Skye talked about the Arc Reactor and all of the possibilities that they could use it for.

"_You know instead of stumbling in the dark, we could just ask her for help. If we tell Lara why we need her, she'll help."_ Bobbi slowly raised her head from the file, her face cold. Mac and Skye exchanged looks of excitement at the thought of possibly working with Lara Croft.

"_We might have to," _Phil Coulson had arrived with Melinda May in tow. He was in his usual suit and had his hands in his pockets, "_We've just gotten word that Hydra has those green swords. You know the King Arthur ones."_

"_Excalibur." _said Hunter in the most mock posh voice he could, getting a smile out of Mac, Skye and Coulson but not Bobbi or May.

Bobbi tutted and shook her head, throwing the file on the table. She turned to face Coulson, her face stoic.

"_That's what she gets when she puts them on show. You realise that she'll probably want something in return."_

Coulson was about to speak but was pipped to the post.

"_Not if we explain everything,"_ Hunter defended Lara in her absence, "_She's saved the world god knows how many times."_

"_Yeah and she gets paid for her stories. And that's what most of them will be, stories." _Bobbi's voice had risen, clearly annoyed at the fact Hunter was defending Lara.

Everyone could sense the tension. Everyone except Hunter.

"_She might be rich but she still needs some kind of income. That an she'll know that this is too dangerous to talk about." _His voice had also risen.

"_Can you find her Hunter?" _asked Coulson loudly, interrupting the start of an argument. Hunter nodded and looked at Skye indicating he might need her help. She smiled back before leading him into another room, leaving Bobbi glaring holes in the back of Hunters head.

Mac shrugged his shoulders as he went to tinker with cars. Bobbi sighed heavily picking up the file on the table.

Hunter and Skye were sat in front of a computer screen. Hunter had used his contacts to find out if Lara was even home or not. They all told him that they didn't know. Skye then used the computer to get an overview look of Croft manor, wondering why she didn't just do that at the start.

Hunter did not like what he saw. The majority of the house was a pile of rubble. The front door was gone, there was a giant hole on the roof and inside, the floor was covered in rubble.

"_She's Lara Croft. She'll be fine Hunter."_ Skye tried to settle Hunter's fear.

His eyes grew wide as a light bulb went off in his head.

"_Can you find the number of Winston Smith?"_

Skye tapped away at the computer and it didn't take her long to set up a protected call.

The phone rang three times before Hunter heard the ever polite voice of Winston.

"_Hello."_

"_Winston, It's Hunter."_

"_Oh hello Mr Hunter."_

"_Lara's home is ruined, again, are you alright?"_

Winston didn't respond for a few minutes. Clearly he didn't know that.

"_Winston?"_

"_She told me to leave after Thor and Mr Stark found a weird energy surge beneath the house. I hope she's okay." _fear flooded his voice.

"_Winston, please don't go back, we'll check it out, It's important that I find her."_

"_Might I suggest trying Mr Stark, Mr Hunter. If the house is destroyed and they are okay, he may suggest going to his. I don't know if any of the others have anywhere safe to go."_

"_Wait others? Who else was there?" _asked Hunter, curiosity getting the better of him.

"_Mr, Rogers, Mr Barton and Miss Romanoff along with Mr Stark and Thor, Sir"_

"_Yeah okay, thank you Winston. Don't worry she'll be fine and again, don't go back. It is too dangerous."_

"_I understand. Good Bye Mr Hunter, take care."_

"_Bye."_

Winston put down the phone, leaving Hunter feeling slightly more relieved that Winston hadn't been there. Hunter always had had respect for Winston. He did, after all, have to deal with Lara's extravagant lifestyle. He never complained, not openly anyway.

Lara being at Stark's did make sense, she had gone to his party. The same one that Skye and Hunter had been at. The same one she had caught Hunter at.

"_So any luck?" _Coulson had entered, not wanting to waste any time.

Skye gave a brief overview on what they had just discussed with Winston. At the mention of Stark and Thor, Coulson's face dropped a little.

"_You don't have to go Coulson."_ Skye had gotten up to put a soothing hand on his shoulder. _"We could explain."_

The Avengers all thought he was dead. Thor had watched him die, watched Loki stab him through the heart. Coulson knew that explaining how he was alive was going to be difficult and would only stir more distrust for S.H.I.E.L.D.

"_It'll be better coming from me. But you and Hunter are coming too. They will want to know why you were at Starks party. And Miss Croft might feel a little better with someone else there that she knows."_

They nodded in acknowledgement before going of the get ready.

Coulson remained in the room. "_This is going to be fun" _he thought attempting to raise his own spirits.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Previously- **Mac and Hunter were playing a game when Bobbi walking the room. In the background they could hear arguing. Knowing that they were arguing about the artefact, Hunter suggests asking Lara for help. Coulson and May enter and say they might need to. Bobbi hates that idea and says that Lara will just sell the story. Hunter defends Lara in her absence eventually being told to find her. With the help of Skye, Hunter phones Winston after seeing Croft manor partially destroyed. He tells them She may be with Stark. After telling Coulson this, he decided it is time so visit old friends._

**Spaghetti Bolognase.**

The flight to New York was, for the most part, peaceful. Steve had been drawing most of the time, Bruce sat at the back keeping himself to himself. Well, he tried to but that's a little difficult when you have Tony Stark prodding you in the side. Natasha was reading in between threatening Tony about him tempting the Hulk. Clint was watching TV, utterly oblivious of everyone else. While Thor had opted to fly himself. He had no need of a plane.

Lara, even amongst the threats of Natasha and childlike chuckles from Tony, managed to go to sleep. It was a disturbed sleep however. If she wasn't dreaming about Alistair she was dreaming about what had happened with Steve. Sometimes it was a mixture of the two.

She and Steve would be dancing with each other. Steve, wearing a tuxedo and Lara in a long red dress. They would gradually get closer and closer until they were inches apart only to be forcefully pulled apart by a dishevelled Alistair begging for Lara for her help.

When she woke up from the more disturbing dreams she would quickly glance around seeing if anyone had noticed. Lara's eyes would often meet with the worried sky blue eyes of Steve Rogers. They would keep eye contact for a brief moment before Steve looked away, returning to his drawing, feeling awkward.

The entire way there Tony promised every one that Stark Tower was better defended and equipped than before.

Lara's allocated room in Stark Tower was huge. Probably bigger than her own back home. Mind you that may have had a huge chunk of it blown apart.

The room was long and wide. On the far wall was a huge window surrounded by heavy deep purple curtains. The modern looking bed was on the wall to the right of the bedroom door. Its sheets were a cream colour and made of silk.

Lara placed her small bag on the bed and was about to unpack there was a knock at the door. She opened it and expected to find a smug Tony on the other side. It wasn't Tony, it was Natasha.

"_Hey."_

Relieved that it wasn't Tony, Lara let Natasha into the room.

"_Why is every room so big?" _questioned Natasha as she looked around the room. Lara laughed.

"_Because it's Stark."_

Natasha watched Lara as she put her clothes into the walk in wardrobe. Natasha could tell what some one was feeling by their movements. It was something she was trained to do.

"_Are you alright, Lara?"_

Lara looked up, shocked that it was Natasha that had asked. She had heard stories about the Black Widow and they all painted her to be rather cold. It was nice to know that she had a heart.

"_I will be. But ask me again when it's over. Oh and thank you for not letting Stark smash up my home."_

Natasha gave Lara a warm smile. She respected Lara. She had fought through so many dangerous situations and often only came out with a few cuts and bruises. Natasha admired Lara's sense of determination.

Sensing that Lara didn't really want to talk about the artefact or her home, Natasha changed the subject. They chatted like they had known each other for years as Lara finished unpacking.

When she had finished Jarvis told them that everyone else were in the living room. Natasha and Lara continued to chat all the way there.

The living room was three times the size of Lara's bedroom. Clint and Thor were watching TV, Thor was staring at it like it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Tony was sat at a computer typing away looking rather pensive. Steve, however, was in the kitchen cooking.

As they entered the living room, Natasha noticed Steve and Lara look at each other only to quickly look away again. She hummed thoughtfully to herself. Lara had noticed the very large window. If she hadn't noticed it she must have been blind.

She stood leaning on the window, looking out over the skyline of New York city.

"_Please tell me I can go out there." _

Tony laughed loudly at the fact she had actually asked.

"_Sure, your not a prisoner. Just don't jump off Croft!" _he shouted after her as she went out onto the balcony.

Lara got as close to the edge as she could, letting a small sense of adrenaline flow through her. The wind whistled by causing her hair to flow to the side. It was at the high points, inches from the edge that Lara felt alive. Holding onto the railing, she closed her eyes, letting the wind blow her gently from side to side.

"_You are a real adrenaline junkie aren't you?"_

Lara opened her eyes to see Natasha to her right. Lara smiled at her. Probably her first genuine smile for quite a while.

"_I'm just going to say it." _Lara raised her eyebrows, intrigued. _"What's going on with you and Steve? You looked at each other but then quickly looked away. As if you were avoiding each other."_

Lara's faced dropped into a more plain look.

"_What do you mean?"_

"_You know what I mean." _Natasha's voice was light and playful.

"_Hmm. Back home I...I asked Steve if he would talk to me about Alistair. He said yes and hugged me."_

Natasha cut her off.

"_You, got close." _Lara nodded. "_So do you..?"_

"_Oh don't get me wrong, Steve's a nice guy an all, but...no."_

The look on Natasha's face told Lara that she didn't believe her. Lara rolled her eyes as Natasha giggled. Hearing Natasha giggle, Lara couldn't suppress a smile and began to laugh herself. Lara was beginning to feel like Natasha was her long lost Russian sister.

"_Natasha, Lara? Dinner's ready. I made spaghetti bolognase, enough for everyone."_

Steve, talk of the devil, popped his head around the door, a sheepish look on his face. Natasha's smile grew a little wider as Lara sighed following Steve back into the living room.

They all ate the spaghetti bolognase at the sofas. Thor wolfed down his portion thanking Steve, who was on his left, every so often and complimenting his cooking. Tony was still working but he was now on a tablet on the other side of Thor. Bruce ate his quietly, talking to Natasha. Clint, however, was still watching TV chuckling loudly between bites.

Lara was awkwardly sat next to Steve. Natasha had given her a sly push causing Lara to lose her balance and fall onto the sofa, next to Steve. Not wanting to give Natasha the satisfaction of being right, Lara had stayed put.

"_This is delicious Steve."_ Lara said, her gaze still on her food.

"_Thank you Lara." _a warm feeling spread inside of Steve as a small half smile crept its way to his lips.

With the awkwardness lifted, Lara and Steve launched into a conversation about their many adventures. Natasha would look over, smiling, pleased with her work.

When Lara had finished eating she thanked Steve again as he tried to take her plate from her. She refused saying the he had cooked it she would clean it. Tony butted in telling them both that the dish washer would clean it.

"_Excuse me sir, but the elevator is on its way up and I cannot see who is in it."_

Jarvis's voice came from all around them. Without waiting for any other information Natasha and Lara ran to their rooms to gather their weapons. The plates were discarded on the coffee table.

Steve and Thor were stood the closest to the elevator with Steve's shield and Mjolnir in hand. Behind them were Lara and Natasha aiming at the elevator from behind cover. Bringing up the rear was Bruce and Clint.

The elevator doors slid open soundlessly. A man and a woman stepped out with there hands in the air.

"_Whoa, whoa, whoa. I'd rather keep my head." _the man said his eyes closed. The girl couldn't hide the excited look on her face. Her eyes darted all over, mainly over Thor.

Lara stepped forward putting her hand on Mjolnir as she walked passed making Thor lower it. Lara was not amused.

"_Everyone meet Hunter. Oh wait you already met Stark and Steve."_

Hunter grinned widely opening one of his eyes. Everyone relaxed and lowered their weapons and hands.

"_Hey Lara. This is Skye and this..." _Hunter turned around to face the elevator as someone else stepped out. Everyone in the room, apart from Lara, gasped. She looked around and their eyes were wide, the look of shock etched onto their faces.

"_Coulson?" How?" _stumbled Thor. He looked the most hurt.

Coulson sighed before he answered.

"_I promise I'll explain the best I can. But right now we need your help Lady Croft."_

Lara didn't really know what to do. She felt out of place. Like an apple in a bowl full of oranges. It was at that moment that Tony re-entered the room. Lara turned to face him. She had expected to see him in his suit but he wasn't.

"_You hacked me. Unfortunately for you Jarvis had managed to get something from you. That's what is was doing earlier." _Tony's face was deathly serious. The most serious any of them had ever seen.

"_S.H.I.E.L.D never learns._" He turned his attention to Natasha and Clint. _"What I'm about to show you, you won't like. What I want to know is if you two knew?"_

Coulson tried to stop Tony but couldn't. Tony pressed a few times on his tablet until a video appeared on the TV.

Everyone's faces dropped even further at the sight of Coulson laid out on a table, a machine fiddling with his exposed brain. He was calling out, asking them to let him die.

Lara felt weak at the knees. She had never met Coulson before but that...that was just... Anger had filled Thor and Bruce had turned away completely. Lara began to feel sick, her face was pale, her legs were getting weaker. She was caught by Steve, who helped her to the kitchen to get some water.

"_Turn it off Tony."_ Demanded Steve as he sat Lara down at the bar stool at the counter.

Tony didn't listen but was still staring at an obviously distraught Natasha.

"_TONY! Turn it off!" _Steve bellowed, his was firm as he forced Lara to take a drink of water.

Natasha sunk into the sofa, her eyes filled with tears.

"_I take that as a no then." _Tony turned off the video, feeling angry but sorry that he had assumed Natasha and Clint knew.

Moments went by in silence. Natasha was sobbing in Clint's arms. Bruce had also sat back down. Thor was looking straight at Coulson still not fully aware that this was real. Steve stayed with Lara making sure she was alright.

"_I will explain everything I can about that later. Right now we need your help Lady Croft."_

She looked over to Coulson, her eyes meeting his.

"_Hmm you went for the Suum Aantah not knowing what it was." _Her voice was dry and quiet. The video was replaying in her head and she couldn't shake it.

"_Yes we heard that Hydra wanted it. We've also heard Hydra have the Excalibur swords."_

She shuck her head slowly.

_**I didn't want this chapter to get too long. Their conversation will continue next chapter. Thank you for reading.**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Previously- **On the flight overto New York, Lara was plagued by dreams of her moment with Steve and visions of Alistair. The group settled in the new and improved Stark Tower. Natasha paid a visit to Lara in her room to check on her, sparking up a friendship. Steve had cooked them all spaghetti bolognase and when they had finished Jarvis alerted them to an unknown presence in the elevator. They were all shocked to see Coulson stood before them._

_**This is gonna be majority talking.**_

**Gathering the Facts.**

Everyone was gathered in the living room feeling either annoyed or awkward. Since Tony had shown that horrid video, Steve had refused to leave Lara's side. She was still incredibly pale.

Lara and Steve sat on the sofa across from Coulson and Skye. Steve had a glass of water in his hand incase Lara needed it again. Hunter was stood behind Skye, arms folded, looking rather bored. Bruce and Tony were standing to the side nearer the kitchen while Clint and Natasha were on the third sofa. Thor was stood in the same spot as when Coulson had entered.

"_Hydra don't have those weird swords then?" _asked Hunter trying to puncture the awkward atmosphere and getting the conversation moving again.

Lara shook her head again.

"_I'm not as stupid as your lovely wife thinks."_

"_She's not my..."_

"_Later. Why would Hydra want this, thingy?" _interrupted Coulson.

"_Actually, I think you owe the people present an explanation. Then I'll tell you about the Suum Aantah."_ Lara's voice was stern letting Coulson know she wasn't going to back down.

Tony glanced at Lara slightly confused. She hadn't known them that long but she was determined to help them get answers. He had gained a new found respect for her.

Coulson explained the best he could about what S.H.I.E.L.D had done to bring him back, only going further in detail if they asked. As he recounted his tale, others would sigh or gasp. Surprisingly Tony remained completely silent during the whole story, his eyes closed as he listened.

A new silence filled the room when Coulson had finished. Lara didn't know if she felt better or worse afterwards.

"_Lady Croft," _Lara groaned, _"Please? What is this artefact?"_

She cleared her throat before speaking.

"_The Summ Aantah. It's Mayan for cord or rope of air. It's said that it makes the wearer lighter than normal. I've read some books that also say it gives the wearer a great amount of speed."_

Coulson nodded in understanding, thinking over what she had said.

"_It is one of three."_

A new voice joined the conversation. Thor was now stood behind Lara, his hands behind his back and his back straight. His face had relaxed a little but he was still unsure of how to react towards Coulson.

Coulson looked to Thor slightly confused, as did Lara. Seeing that even Lara didn't fully understand, Thor continued.

"_We have one of the others," _Lara oh'ed realising what he was referring to, "_The thrall controller. The other is a book."_

"_Hu'un Na'atik, the book of understanding."_ Lara rested her head on her chin, deep in thought.

Tony snorted, _"Ha, how cliché."_

Thor moved around the sofa and sat down at the other side of Lara.

"_Unfortunately I have no idea where the tome is located. What about you Lara? Have you come across it in your travels?"_

Steve nudged Lara out of her little thought bubble.

"_Er no. But I might no someone who has."_

Hunter sighed loudly drawing all eyes to him.

"_Not the crazy old Prof. He is determined to hook me up with his son and I don't even swing that way."_

Lara laughed remembering the last time she and Hunter had seen the Professor. They had been at the University of Chicago to find out about an old chinese god. Every so often, in between recounting the tale of the old god, the Professor would look at Hunter and deliberately ask about his sex life and show him pictures of his son. It was made worse by the fact the Professor had done it when his son had been there leading to a very uncomfortable moment between Hunter and the poor boy.

"_Professor George Pine. Anything I don't know about myths he does. So he will probably have a theory at least."_

"_Well it's nice to have a plan but what do all of these things do together?" _asked Bruce stepping towards the sofa.

Lara shrugged her shoulders and turned to face Thor.

"_The Suum Aantah gives speed, the Yuumil, the thrall controller, gives direction and power over others and the book explains how to use them both fully. Someone with all three of these items would be able to rule somewhere from behind the scenes and would be very hard to trace."_

Everyone exchanged understanding looks. If Hydra were to get a hold on all three, they would gain even more control than they already had. They would be able to manipulate leaders minds and shape the world to their vision.

"_So Lara, where is this old geezer?"_ asked Tony clapping his hands together, a smile returning to his face.

"_What? You want all...ten of us to go? No. George is incredibly..."_

"_Crazy." _said Hunter rolling his eyes.

"_Paranoid. He knows Hunter and I but he will get side tracked if it's just us so..."_

Lara looked around the room debating on who would best make the Professor understand that it was a matter of great importance.

"_Thor. Thor will you come with us? He'll see you, get excited and then realise that it goes beyond me. Far beyond me."_ Thor smiled bowing his head slightly.

Lara looked Thor up and down. After all this time he was still wearing his Asguardian armour. Thor saw her examine him and raised an eyebrow.

"_I'm sorry but you'll stand out like a sore thumb in your Asguardian outfit."_

Clint and Hunter laughed loudly.

"_Ooh! Shopping trip!" _Clint mocked in the most girly way he could.

"_Thank you for volunteering Clint."_ said Natasha pushing him off of the sofa, giggling afterwards.

Clint stared at Natasha for a few moments before realising that she meant it. Sighing, Clint led Thor to the elevator and they left.

"_So where is this Professor now?" _questioned Skye.

Lara looked at Tony and gave him the sweetest smile she could.

"_Ok I'll find him since you smiled ever so nicely." _He winked at her before picking up his tablet and tapping away again.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Previously- **Everyone was gathered in the Living room. After being persuading Coulson to explain how he was alive Lara, with the help of Thor, explained about the Suum Aantah. He said that they were three items that work with each other. Lara mentioned that she knows someone that may be able to locate the Book but said that only she, Hunter and Thor should go._

* * *

><p><span><strong>To The Professor.<strong>

Hunter, Skye and Coulson stayed in Stark Tower that night. To say that the atmosphere for the rest of that day was weird would be an understatement. It was oddly quiet. Everyone kept themselves to themselves, trying to avoid looking at each other for too long.

To avoid the silent stares between people Lara remained in her room. She spent the evening watching films or reading and writing her journal. At around ten o'clock Steve poked his head around her bedroom door to check if she was alright before he went to bed. The tension between he and Lara had now, for the most part, gone. It was like their little moment didn't even happen.

Lara awoke early the next day at six o'clock, like she always did. She got a quick shower and dressed herself in a white t-shirt, tight black trousers and her favourite black boots.

She headed to the kitchen and found she wasn't the only one up. Tony was sat at the kitchen's island reading the news on his tablet.

"_Morning milady." _Lara turned slowly to face him, a small amused smile on her face,_ "I've found your friend. He's in Chicago."_

"_I would have thought you'd be the last one up."_ said Lara pouring some cereal into a bowl.

"_I'm full of surprises."_

They sat in silence for a few moments before Tony spoke again.

"_I'm sorry."_

Lara nearly choked on her cereal.

"_For what?"_

"_Showing that video. It was..."_

She reached over and put her hand on his.

"_You don't need to apologise Tony. You were friends with Coulson and he showed up out of the blue after you though he was dead. You were hurt."_

He gave her a half smile.

"_Thank you for getting him to explain it though."_

"_You all deserved the truth. Besides you agreed to help me so it was the least I could do." _

It was half an hour before anyone else was up. After she finished her cereal, Lara stayed at the island in the kitchen to talk to Tony. For the most part, the conversation consisted of Tony asking Lara about the Professor. At half six, Steve emerged.

Lara couldn't resist to look at him when he reached up to the top shelf for the cereal. His shirt lifted up as he did causing Lara to look and raise an eyebrow. Tony saw her and titled his head into her view. She quickly got up and went to the sofa. She was soon joined by Tony and Steve.

One by one people were getting up.

Natasha was next up followed by Skye. Bruce emerged next, his hair a mess and just simply grunted his good morning. At half seven a lot of thudding, swearing, and laughing could be heard coming from Thor's room.

Everyone looked at each other wondering what the hell was going on. Clint and Hunter came half running and half falling down the corridor, a pillow following them.

"_I never thought that Thor falling over would be so funny!" _said Clint amongst spats of laughter.

"_He was putting on his trousers when..." _Hunter mock fell over making Clint laugh even harder.

Tony shot up and ran down the corridor, annoyed that he missed all the fun. Sighing, Bruce decided to follow him and actually lend Thor a hand.

Natasha and Skye went on to the balcony to finish their breakfast in peace, leaving Steve alone with Lara.

Lara was curled up the corner of the sofa reading a small book that Tony had given her. Steve was two seats away, sitting silently, his hands on his lap.

"_Erm Lara..."_

She looked up from her book to find that Steve had scooted along the sofa to sit closer to her.

"_If you, er, still want to talk, to talk about Alistair I'm still willing to listen." _He said quietly, never looking at her as he said it.

A slight smile crept its way to the side of Lara's mouth. But before she could answer Coulson walked in asking about all the noise. Steve stealthily shuffled away from Lara, explaining Thor's predicament.

At around nine o'clock everyone one was up and ready to go. Thor, other than his mannerisms, would completely pass as a Midguardian. He had opted for a large grey jumper and deep blue jeans.

Everyone was gathered in the living room, near the elevator, as they went over little bits of information before Thor, Lara and Hunter set off for Chicago.

"_Er Thor? I'm sorry to do this to you but would you fly on the plane please? I'd like to explain the Professor to you a bit more."_

"_Absolutely Lara."_

Skye was having a conversation with Hunter while Tony and Clint were bullying Thor about his little fumble. Lara slyly made her way to Steve who was stood at the back of the group, behind Coulson, Natasha and Bruce.

"_Thank you Steve."_

He turned to her, eyebrows raised.

"_I...I need to talk about Alistair and I know you won't say anything that will make me feel worse. Yet you'll still give me a honest opinion." _She had practiced what she was going to say in her head but as she said it it came out all at once. She gave him a shy smile which he returned along with a small chuckle.

"_You don't need to thank me Lara." _He looked at his feet briefly as Thor and Hunter entered the elevator. The both watched as Hunter attempted to push Thor _"Please Lara stay on your guard."_

Steve looked Lara in her eyes, her beautiful bronze eyes.

"_Waiting on you Lara." _Hunters voice echoed through the crowd.

Lara put her hand on Steve's shoulder, giving him a small nod and a smile. Tony grabbed her by her arm and pretty much threw her into the elevator. The doors closed as Lara rubbed her arm, staring at Tony with thin eyes. Tony just stuck out his tongue.

Hunter, Thor and Lara were aboard Tony's private jet. In true Stark fashion it was the most teched out jet Lara had ever seen. There were lots of pointless accessories that had no place on a plane. Like a pole for example. Lara knew exactly what Stark would use that pole for.

They sat grouped together. Hunter stretched out on the long sofa, enjoying the luxury. Thor looked around the plane taking in everything. Everything just washed over Lara.

"_Thor you should know that George can be a little..." _Lara began.

"_Nuts?"_

"_No"_

"_Eccentric?"_

"_No, well yes, but shut up Hunter. He can be a little excitable."_

"_He will fan girl over you."_

Thor gave Hunter a confused look.

"_Fan girl. What's a fan girl?"_

"_A girl that goes..." _Hunter began to imitate a very happy, obsessive girl by waving his arms around and squealing.

At the sight of Hunter squealing and writhing in his seat like a pig on the spit, Thor turned to Lara, his eyes wide. Lara was laughing into her hand.

"_George won't do that." _Lara pointed at Hunter. _"Probably. He'll most likely just fire off a lot of questions that you won't even hear."_

Thor's faced relaxed and prayed that Lara was right and not Hunter.

For the rest of the flight Lara, Thor and Hunter exchanged stories and talking about the Professor. If they weren't exchanging tales Lara found herself thinking of Steve that morning, drawing a smile to her lips.

After a short taxi ride from the airport to the Professor's home, Lara made sure that Thor understood what Professor George Pine was like.

His home seemed to be like it was brought straight from the nineteen forties. The garden looked like it hadn't seen a lawnmower in years. Well apart from the rusted one that was lost amongst the tall grass. At the side of the house were several stacks of boxes full of water damaged papers and junk.

"_Are we sure Stark got it right?" _asked Hunter, scrunching up his nose to the horrid sewage smell.

"_Yep."_

Not even phased by the smell, Lara marched right up to the door and knocked loudly.

...

No answer.

She knocked again.

...

Still no answer.

"_Professor? Professor it's Lara. Lara and Hunter. You remember Hunter right?" _As she said the last bit she gave Hunter a playful smile. He gave her the bird, drawing an icy glare from Thor.

The sound of several locks being unlocked could be heard from behind the wooden door. It slowly opened to reveal a small silver haired old man peering up at them through his broken glasses.

"_I thought I told you to fix those." _Lara said pointing at his glasses. "I even gave you money to do it."

The Professor's face lit up when he saw Hunter and he quickly let them all, including Thor, inside.

"_I found a nice little antique shop selling the most delightful little glass swans." _His voice was unusually high pitched for a man yet it still managed to be gravelly.

His house was filled to the brim with little trinkets and massive piles of books. With the size of Thor, he had to try even harder not to knock anything over. The Professor led them into what they thought was once a dining room.

"_What can I do you for Little Miss Croft?" _As he spoke his eyes began to cross causing him to blink a few times, returning them to their original position.

"_Professor this is...well this is Thor." _She gave the Professor a look of both pride and realisation. For some reason it only really hit her now that she was stood in a room with the Norse god of thunder himself.

The Professor slowly looked up at Thor. And looked up was the exact thing he did. The Professor was smaller than Lara, who only came halfway up Thor's bicep. The Professor barely reached Thor's elbow.

"_Thor? Thor! In my home?!" _The Professor let out a loud chuckle spinning on the spot before shouting, _"The mighty Thor!"_

"_Oooh what exactly is the Bifrost made from? How does the magic in Mjolnir work? How do you control lightning? Is Lady Sif single?" _he rolled off the questions without taking a breath. As he asked the last question he rapidly raised his eyebrows.

Thor gave a deep small chuckle. _"Please Professor, we need your help."_

He clapped his hands together. Lara shook her head smiling.

"_George we need to find the Hu'un Na'atik as soon as we can. I only know a little."_ Lara leaned, as much as she dared, on the table in front of her. It looked like it was about to break under the weight of a whole load of books and boxes.

With surprising speed for a man his age, nearing his eighties, he made room on the table before slamming down a map of Asia. As he did so he muttered to himself. All they could hear was the odd word like Hunter, son, Thor and Mayans. Hunter, Lara and Thor gathered around the map. Hunter made sure he was as far away from the Professor as he could.

The map had lots of crosses in different colours on it. Most of the crosses had been scribbled out. The Professor began to cross reference one book with another and then began to draw on the map in a bright red marker.

After he added a few more crosses, he began looking around the room.

"_Ruler. I need a ruler." _he said his his high pitched voice.

All of them began searching for something straight. Thor managed to pull down a long thin wooden stick from behind a large bookshelf.

The Professor said thank you more times than Thor could count as he drew lines between the various crosses on the map. The various lines indicated to three different areas on the map all in Indonesia.

The Professor looked up at Lara all happy with himself. Hunter got out his phone and took a photo of each key point to send it to Tony. He was about to take a photo of the last area when a gun shot rang out.


End file.
